Your Guardian Angel
by GDrachen
Summary: When Apollo falls ill, Phoenix is left to make a very difficult decision.


After a late night of discussion, a job proposal and offering him a place to live; Phoenix had given Apollo roughly two weeks to acclimate to the office, gain his bearings and let him settle into the position; hoping his reservations surrounding the young male would prove to be unsubstantiated. Unfortunately, Apollo just didn't seem to be doing as well as Phoenix had hoped. Unquestionably, his work was fine; Kristoph seemed to have trained him well and he appeared to know exactly what he had to do; but worryingly, his overall demeanor remained generally lethargic. Phoenix had been offended when Apollo refused to eat his - interesting as Trucy called them - meals or take part in he and Trucy's 'home life'; yet, he soon realized it wasn't him in particular, it was Apollo's health that looked as if it was on the decline, causing his listlessness. A drastic contrast to how Trucy had been when he'd taken her in and drastically different to the sprightly Apollo Phoenix had seen before.

Phoenix watched Apollo tread around sluggishly after a long day in Court, vaguely aware of his surroundings and much more exhausted than he should have been before he'd collapsed onto the couch, unable to even lift his head when Trucy had strained to get his attention. Phoenix hovered over Apollo while he grew steadily weaker before making the decision to take him in to see a doctor. Apollo was young, but after being abandoned by his former employer, having nowhere to go and not knowing how to survive living in the streets, his physical health looked like it had taken the biggest hit.

After a fair bout of objection on Apollo's part, Phoenix sat across the room while they waited for him to be examined. Apollo continued to lay on his side nervously, too weak to sit up, no longer having the energy to protest. Now that his coat and vest had been removed, Phoenix could see just how emaciated Apollo really was. Under the thin fabric of the dress shirt that clung to his body, Phoenix could easily see his ribs and hips protruding. He'd known Apollo back when he'd worked for Kristoph, and while small, he hadn't been overly reedy. During his exam, Phoenix watched while Apollo's organs and bones were easily palpated. Apollo squirmed as if in pain when a hand pressed on his lower back, trying to feel his kidneys. As the exam continued, the doctor checked his joints, his ears and eyes before listening to his heart and lungs, trying to get some information out of him; yet nothing in his physical exam stood out well enough to indicate what the problem was. Phoenix hoped Apollo was just having a bit of a difficult time trying to get back on his feet and that nothing serious was wrong with him. Phoenix anticipated the news of it being just a matter of him feeling a little under the weather and it would be easy enough for him to rebound.

As the exam progressed, it became particularly noteworthy as to just how increasingly anxious Apollo was behaving now that he was being more closely examined. At first, he didn't seem to care; now, he'd flinch and pull away, seemingly tying to shelter himself from any further contact. Phoenix had seen it before, the telltale signs of cruelty; it sickened him to know that Apollo had been treated so poorly that he had become terrified of being touched; and he seemed to be at his worst when a hand was brought near his face. As uncomfortable with the situation as Apollo had become, he did not have any further will to resist the contact when his blood was drawn.

When his blood work had come back, Phoenix sat with Apollo and went over the report. It saddened him to find the testing noting he was suffering from severe kidney disease, something that had been completely unexpected. It was also noted that he had a urinary tract infection that had been left long enough, it had now spread to his kidneys, further compounding the problem. After inquiring as to why Apollo had let himself get so sick, it pained Phoenix to hear he'd had no health insurance and no money to afford treatment. Phoenix hoped it was just a matter of simply managing Apollo's pain, getting him onto some antibiotics to clear up the infection and giving him some fluids to help rehydrate him; and hopefully once the infection cleared up, it would take the worst signs of disease with it. He'd gladly cover the cost of treatment if it meant saving Apollo.

Phoenix couldn't shake the guilty pangs that hit him when Apollo's sad, brown eyes followed him, leaving Apollo with the hospital staff for his treatment; but, he knew it was the best thing for him while decisions were made about his continuing care. Kidney disease was a hard diagnosis to fight; but, with enough luck, hopefully, he'd recover. Phoenix prayed it was just a matter of the infection skewing his blood work results, making things appear far worse than they really were and once cleared up, they could make the necessary appointments to get him healthy.

Over the following days, it warmed Phoenix's heart to see Apollo finally feeling much better, even elatedly greeting he and Trucy when they'd had a chance to visit. He seemed have turned a corner and to be full of life and energy, his appetite had returned, he'd gained a few pounds and the infection seemed to be subsiding.

Phoenix, after discussing it with the doctors, decided it would be best to continue Apollo's treatment in his home, somewhere Apollo was more familiar with and seemed happier to be, not stuck in a ward surrounded by dying, elderly patients.

After a few more days of treatment, Apollo's condition nosedived despite their best efforts. His energy dropped and he'd begun to refuse food yet again. He could only lay on the couch, zoned out, ignoring his surroundings. After a few hours of observation, Phoenix decided that Apollo needed to go back into the hospital. Further testing confirmed his worst fear, the antibiotics couldn't control the infection and Apollo's disease process had gone on for far too long untreated. He was in the late sages of chronic renal failure and now it was shutting down the rest of his organs. Apollo was slowly dying and there was little they could do. There had been discussions of progressing with a live donor kidney transplant; Phoenix willing offered himself up, as had Trucy, but the idea had been quickly dissolved. Even if they were a match; Apollo was far too frail to survive such an invasive procedure.

Phoenix sat with Apollo as much as he could over the following days, watching him decline and slowly slip away. As Apollo's next of kin and Apollo not being able to make his own decisions; Phoenix had opted to pursue invasive and aggressive treatment, even if it might do more harm than good. No matter what, he had to at least try. It pained him to see Apollo in this state; drugged and tied to industrial machinery that supported his life. But, no matter how hard they'd fought, Apollo did not seem to be responding to treatment and looked like he maybe had a few days left. Phoenix spent the following nights crying, praying for a miracle. He'd tried to find Apollo's family before coming to the heart wrenching discovery that Apollo was orphaned, alone, and had spent many years in the system, being abused and neglected before Kristoph had taken him in, only to further mistreat him.

After days of trying everything they could think of, Apollo's body began to shut down. Apollo began taking seizures while his system poisoned its' self. After evaluation, it was learned that Apollo's disease process was far too advanced for him to have much hope of recovering. They'd determined through multiple tests that he had less than a five percent chance of recovering, if he even managed to make it through the night. What little of Apollo was left had no recognition of his surroundings when Phoenix spoke softly to him; it was only a matter of time.

Phoenix held Apollo through the worst of his seizures before coming to a painful decision. It was wrong to let Apollo suffer in his last hours; and, now that it was legal, Phoenix had to make the final and distressing decision to have Apollo put to sleep.

Phoenix barely registered the consultation he'd spent hours sitting through. All he could later remember were words floating over him when the procedure was explained and standing on the curb afterwards, tears streaming down his face, signed paperwork and an appointment card sealing Apollo's fate in hand.

Phoenix and Trucy sat alone with Apollo for nearly two hours, apologizing and saying their goodbyes before being asked if they were ready. Phoenix looked down at Apollo, he was nearly gone as it was and this would be more humane than letting him struggle on in pain until he finally wasted away. Trucy had begged to be with Apollo to the very end; but, both Phoenix and the doctors decided it was best for her not to be present.

Phoenix cradled Apollo while he was prepared to be given the first injection. When the milky liquid had finally been administered; Phoenix recalled being told that after a few minutes, Apollo would peacefully drift off and go limp, fully sedated. It only made him hug Apollo closer and hesitate before letting them give Apollo the second injection, knowing that the pink liquid in the syringe would mean the end of Apollo's life. Apollo would be deeply asleep, his heart and breathing would slowly stop and it would be over. Minutes continued to pass before a stethoscope was gently pressed to Apollo's chest. Phoenix listened quietly, part of him hoping to hear Apollo's heart beating, but only hearing the soul-shattering whisper: 'He's gone'.


End file.
